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No pause in climate change as sea soaks up extra
heat
A new study suggests accelerated wind speeds have
transferred heat into the deeper ocean, offering a possible
explanation for the 'pause' in rising surface temperatures. The
study suggests rapid warming will resume if the winds return to
their long-term average speeds. One of the study's authors tells
theGuardian that "[e]ven if the winds
accelerate even further, sooner or later the impact of greenhouse
gases will overwhelm the effect". The Independent says the study shows "Global
warming has not stopped, it has just gone under water".
The Times
Climate and energy news:
Energy firms' profit margins under scrutiny by
minister
The energy secretary, Ed Davey, has written to regulators
asking them to consider whether British Gas is unfairly profiting
from people's gas bills. Davey said that if profit margins on gas
were reduced to the same level as on electricity, households could
save up to £40 a year on average. The Telegraph has
the letter in full.
Telegraph
Energy Saving Trust figures reveal ups and downs
of energy-saving claims
The Energy Savings Trust has updated figures on how much
households could save by installing energy efficiency measures,
which the industry often uses in advertising. The Trust previously
said it was likely to reduce the amount it estimated households
could save in light of new government research. While that has
happened for some measures - such as installing wall insulation -
it has increased its estimate for other measures. The changes have
"mystified" green experts, the Guardian says.
Guardian
Floods show risk of ignoring climate change, says
Prince Charles
The Prince of Wales has added his voice to those linking the
Somerset floods to climate change. He said the floods were "a
classic example of what happens if we pay little attention to the
accumulating impact of climate change on the larger
picture".
Telegraph
Met Office: Evidence 'suggests climate change link
to storms'
The Met Office's chief scientist says the recent storms and
flooding are likely to be linked to climate change. Speaking at the
launch of a new report into climate impacts,
Dame Julia Slingo said that while there was "no definitive answer"
to what caused the storms, "all the evidence suggests there is a
link to climate change". She said the Met Office's data showed the
recent weather was not "unprecedented", but that it was
"exceptional". The Times also covers the
story.
BBC News
EU to rule on controversial British nuclear deal
this year
The European Commission has said it will rule whether the
UK's new nuclear deal is legal by the end of the year. Last month
the commission called on the UK government to clarify why a new
nuclear plant needed government support in order to get
built.
Reuters
Climate and energy comment:
Climate change: Weather of Olympian
extremes
A Guardian editorial says the recent extreme weather across
the globe should wake policymakers up to the reality of climate
change. It says that while "[e]xtremes are to be expected: any
average is the sum of accumulated extremes. What should trouble the
politicians is the apparent, and apparently inexorable, increase in
the severity and the frequency of extremes".
Guardian
Unprecedented trade wind strength is shifting
global warming to the oceans, but for how much
longer?
Dana Nucitelli looks at the pacific trade winds study in a
bit more detail. He says the new paper adds to a body of research
showing the impact of shifting internal factors on global
temperatures. "The next piece of the puzzle will involve explaining
the cause of the dramatic, unprecedented trade wind acceleration",
he says.
Climate Consensus Blog via The
Guardian
How long will the UK government keep its head
above flood water?
The Guardian's environment editor says budgets cuts and a
climate skeptic environment minister are partly to blame for the
current Somerset floods. He says the government's emergency efforts
are "too little, too late".
Guardian
Somerset floods: The excuses that just won't
wash
Telegraph columnist, Geoffrey Lean, has some suggestions for
how the prime minister could help clean up the current floods and
prevent such a disaster in the future - including fighting climate
change.
Telegraph
New climate science:
Technological Interventions between Piecemeal and
Utopian Social Engineering
Injecting aerosols into the stratosphere to encourage cloud
formation is one possibility for engineering the climate to bring
down temperatures. But how does the process fit in with different
visions of societal development, and how does that impact the
debate? A new study investigates.
Earth's Future
Recent intensification of wind-driven circulation
in the Pacific and the ongoing warming
hiatus
Pacific trade winds picking up the pace could be playing a
key role in the slowdown in surface warming since 2000, by causing
the ocean to take up more heat than usual, according to a new
study.
Nature Climate Change
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